Trouble in Paradise
by the real Violet Parr
Summary: Two other girls have their eyes on Violet and Mia's boyfriends...but it turns out they were distracting the boys for far more sinister reasons...3rd in my Team Dynamo series
1. Alone?

I'M BAAAACK! And I'm really sorry for staying away for so long too. But here I am again with a brand-new (and hopefully just as good) Incredibles story! (and I sincerely apologize for the semi-lame title, if anyone has any better ideas please let me know in your review) This is the third story in the Team Dynamo sequence, and I recommend reading the first two stories - _Viomist and the Soaring Ghost_ and _Aquaguy and the Floating Beam_ - before starting this one. However, if you're too lazy or whatever to do that, I'll just quickly go over the four main supers in my stories:

Violet Parr/Viomist: Well, if you're in this category, that probably means you've seen the movie and know who she is. If you haven't, WATCH IT, it's awesome:) Anyway, Violet's going out with Tony in my stories. She is Pixar's creation, not mine.

Mia Willis/The Soaring Ghost: Violet's best friend. Dark brown hair, hazel eyes. Powers - invisibility, can fly, has night vision and can communicate with animals. Her boyfriend is named Sam. Mia is one of my original characters.

Tony Rydinger/Aquaguy: also from the movie and one of Pixar's creations. In my story, he is also a super. Powers - can hold his breath underwater for long periods of time and is an excellent swimmer, can create waves (even in still water), and is able to throw "water bombs". Violet's boyfriend.

Sam Chance/The Floating Beam: Tony's best friend and Mia's boyfriend. Powers - levitation and the ability to shoot lasers from his hands. Another of my original characters.

Enjoy this chapter, and a review would be great. Oh yeah, and this story takes place in their first month of ninth grade.

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**Chapter 1: Alone?**

Violet Parr and her best friend Mia Willis were sitting in World History, their last class of the day. The teacher, Mr. Parker, was droning on and on about something incredibly boring - not that that was a real surprise. The two girls fidgeted impatiently in their seats as they waited for the final bell to ring.

As she watched the clock's hand drag forward at a snail's pace, Violet's thoughts drifted to her boyfriend Tony. They had only been going out for about 4 months, but it seemed like an eternity since Violet had first asked him out at a track meet near the end of their eighth grade year. (Of course, that might have been because she and Tony - along with Mia and her boyfriend Sam - had had the adventure of a lifetime during the summer, when a team of supervillains working for the Parr's archnemisis had kidnapped Sam and used him as bait to lure the others to their secret island lair...but that's another story.)

Earlier that day, during lunch, Tony and Sam had told the girls to meet them behind the school building after last period because they "had to ask them something". It was not hard to guess that the boys were going to ask them to the back-to-school dance that would be on Friday night - _but it's still really sweet of them to ask us when we're along,_ mused Violet. _It makes it more special._

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the bell ringing. Finally.

"Now, don't forget, class, read section one of chapter one in your textbooks tonight and answer questions one through five at the end of the text," called Mr. Parker as the students collected their books and filed out of the classroom. Mia and Violet waited for the majority to leave, then slipped out and went to their lockers to pack up.

"So you think they're gonna ask us to the dance?" Mia asked Vi as she worked her combination.

"No," said Violet, rolling her eyes and smiling playfully. "They're going to ask us to marry them, Mi."

"Really?" Laughing, Mia shook her head. "Um, it's a tempting offer, but if it's true I'll have to pass on it for now. I mean, I love Sam, but I do want to finish high school at least before I get married!"

"Yeah, that'd be a good idea." Vi zipped up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. "C'mon, let's go."

They headed for the area where they were to meet Tony and Sam and found them waiting there. "Hey, girls," said Sam.

"Hi," replied Mia. "So - you have something to ask us?"

"Uh..." Sam glanced at Tony and stepped back. "Yeah. Go ahead, Tony."

Obviously, Tony had not been expecting this. He gave his best friend a dirty look and muttered, "Thanks buddy" under his breath. Then he coughed and said awkwardly, "So. The dance coming Friday. You guys...wanna go with us?"

Violet and Mia exchanged a look. They were trying very hard to stifle their laughter - guys could be so funny sometimes! Speaking for them both, Vi answered, "Of course we will, guys!"

Looking visibly relieved, both boys grinned. "Really?" asked Sam. "Great!"

The foursome left to watch for their bus, not aware that they were not alone as they had thought. Every word of their conversation had been heard by three sharp pairs of ears hiding behind nearby bushes.

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"Yes! They asked them! They'll all be at the dance!" whispered one of the eavesdroppers, a blonde-haired girl with piercing blue eyes. She high-fived one of her companions and squealed excitedly, "It's going to work!"

The other girl, also a blonde but with lighter highlights in her almost waist-length hair, nodded. "Of course it will work, Veronica - it's a plan I came up with." She narrowed her almost black eyes evilly. "Once we lure the girls outside and the Elements come to take them, we will have those boys all to ourselves."

"Um, Trinity..." piped up the third member of the party, a smaller girl with dirty-blonde hair and sparkling green eyes. Her name was Brittany Hunter. "If you two start going out with Tony and Sam, who will I hang out with?"

The dark-eyed blonde, Trinity, shrugged carelessly. "You'll find somebody, I guess." Then suddenly she slipped into a much more interested tone of voice. "I can't wait for Friday! Sam is so hott!"

Veronica stuck out her tongue. "Yeah, well, Tony is way hotter!"

"Nu-uh!"

Sighing, Brittany zoned out and thought about her "friends". Trinity and Veronica weren't really very nice, but they were all she had, the only ones who would accept. _I wish...I wish I had some real friends. Anyone at all._

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There ya go. Reviews are appreciated. :)


	2. The Dance

Thanks to RubyVulpix, The Star Swordsman, Inspector Brown, and Shaded-Sky for reviewing! And I apologize not only for this chapter's length, but for how boring it is. It's kind of a filler chapter...sorry about that.

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Violet and Mia waited all week for the night of the dance to come. Finally it arrived. Mia came over to Vi's house so they could get ready together. 

"How should I wear my hair? Up? Down? Both? There are too many possibilities!" Violet was so nervous she was getting hysterical.

"Violet! Calm down! We've been through this before. And wear your hair down."

Looking sheepish, Violet nodded. "Thanks, Mia. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Anytime." Mia smiled and ran a brush through her hair a final time. "Okay, they'll probably be here any minute..." Ding dong! "C'mon!"

The two girls ran downstairs and opened the door. Tony and Sam were there, dressed in dark slacks and nice shirts. "You guys look great!" said Vi.

"Thanks." Tony grinned. "So do you." Violet had on dark blue slacks and a lavender shirt, and Mia was wearing a sky blue shirt and black pants.

Violet blushed and said, "Hey, we'd better go."

They started off toward the school, chatting casually. It didn't take long for them to arrive there, and they began to dance.

"Sorry!" mumbled Vi as she stepped on Tony's foot - again. "I'm not a very good dancer..."

"It's okay, you're just fine," answered Tony, grinning good-naturedly.

As the song ended, Sam asked, "You guys want something to drink?"

Nodding, Violet and Mia moved off toward a nearby table, and the two boys headed for the punch bowl. Since they were so far away, neither Tony nor Sam saw what happened next.

Out of nowhere hands were thrust over the girl's mouths and a voice hissed menacingly in their ears, "Start walking. Don't say a word or you're dead."

The girls were so petrified it was all they could do to walk out of the building. Their captors shoved them behind bushes, tied their hands behind their backs, and blindfolded and gagged them. Violet managed to catch a glimpse of blonde hair before her blindfold was put on.

Neither of them could see anything, and all they could hear were rustling leaves around them. After a moment they felt themselves being picked up and tossed roughly into something. Then they heard an engine start. At first Violet and Mia couldn't smell anything, but they caught a whiff of something sweet. The last thing she heard before everything went black was an evil cackle and someone hissing "Good work, boys!

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Cliffhangers are fun. :) Reviews are nice too...


	3. Imposters

Thanks to Inspector Brown, RubyVulpix, The Star Swordsman, dyu123, and Shaded-Sky for reviewing! And please, nobody flame me for this chapter. I know the guys are horribly out of character, especially Sam - but there's a reason for it, I promise!**  
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**Chapter 3: Impostors**

Veronica slipped into the girl's room to prepare for the next phase of their plan. After making sure no one was around, she morphed into an exact replica of Violet Parr. This was her power - she could change her appearance and look like anyone in the world - well, anyone female.

As for Trinity, she had a very different gift: the ability to make any boy fall completely in love with her. She waited impatiently for her friend to finish her transformation so that they could begin phase two. Finally Veronica came out, looking exactly like Violet. "How do I look?"

"Perfect." Trinity smiled evilly. "And now to snag the boys. You'd better go first and distract Tony."

Veronica wandered around until she found Tony sitting at a table with Sam. "Sorry, Tony," she said, trying to keep her voice sounding like Violet's. "I had to use the restroom."

"It's okay. Glad you're back. Here's your drink," replied Tony, handing her a cup of punch.

"Thanks." said Veronica sweetly.

"Hey, have you seen Mia?" asked Sam. "I thought she was with you." His face had a concerned frown on it. "Is she okay?"

"She'll be along," purred Trinity, suddenly appearing and taking the seat next to him. "In the meantime, why don't you talk to me?"

"Uh...sure." Sam raised an eyebrow but flashed his usual easy grin. "So how are you doing?"

"Fine." Suddenly Trinity blinked rapidly several times and asked, "Sam, could you look in my eye? I think I have an eyelash stuck in it."

"Which one?"

"Both." He stared into her dark eyes for a minute. "No, I don't see..." Then his eyes glazed over. Trinity had cast her spell over him. He grinned and rested his arm over her shoulders. "Did anyone ever tell you how hott you are?"

"No, tell me." Trinity snuggled closer to him.

Ordinarily Tony would have noticed his friend's strange behavior and put a stop to it, but "Violet" had dragged him out onto the dance floor and he'd stopped concentrating on anything but her. However, there was someone watching Sam's odd behavior; Brittany was hiding behind a nearby stack of chairs, spying on the two and making an effort not to throw up. "I can't believe her!" she whispered, clearly shocked. "I didn't think Trinity's spell was this bad. And Veronica's not much better."

She made up her mind then: she would snap Sam and Tony out of their trances and make them come with her to rescue Violet and Mia - no matter what the two evil girls thought. _I'm sorry I ever put up with those two as friends!_ she thought. _I'm going to help Violet and Mia escape if it's the last thing I do._

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Reviews are appreciated._  
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	4. The Element's Lair

Thanks to The Star Swordsman, Inspector Brown, RubyVulpix, and Shaded-Sky for reviewing! And I'm sorry for the long wait - I was on a vacation and couldn't update.

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**Chapter 4: The Element's Lair**

Violet opened her eyes and found herself wondering if she actually had - wherever she was, it was an extremely dark place. She couldn't even see her hand when she held it a few inches in front of her face. _Where am I?_

Then it all came back to her: the dance, their abduction, and being driven away and knocked out. _Mia! Where's Mia?_ She called out, "Mia! Are you there?"

A faint voice answered, "Over here." It came from Violet's right.

"Are you all right?"

"Fine. How about you?"

"I'm okay. Do you know where we are?"

Suddenly the room was flooded with light. The two girls had a hard time keeping their eyes open for several minutes. When both had adjusted to the abrupt brightness, they could see that they were in large metal cells. Footsteps approaching made them look up, and they saw a tall, thin woman with long blonde hair approaching.

"I see our little captives have awakened," the woman purred silkily. "Welcome to the lair of The Elements!"

The woman's statement sparked something in Vi's memory. "Tempest! What do you want?" she asked coldly. Earlier that year Tempest and her supervillain team, The Elements, had assisted Syndrome - her family's archnemesis - in his plan to conquer the world. Team Dynamo had just barely managed to foil it in time.

"I want to control the world, of course! And you two are going to help me." Cackling evilly, Tempest continued, "You see, at this very moment my brilliant team is working on a project so devious, so ingenious, that you two will not believe your eyes when you see it!"

Violet was used to villain's monolouging bravado. "Okay, that's peachy for you, but we'd kind of like to know if you're ever going to let us go..."

"Perhaps we will, perhaps we won't," snarled Tempest. "At any rate, I don't feel like telling you either way right now. You two just sit back, relax, and wait for us to complete the Power-Thief."

Each raising an eyebrow, Mia and Violet barely managed to remain silent. Mia was dubious about what Tempest had said; was there really such an invention as a "Power-Thief", and if there was, would it even work? It was Mia's experience that most villains' intellects were far below those of rocket scientists (or even the average high schooler).

On the other hand, Violet was more concerned. She didn't think Tempest would be making such a big deal over this "Power-Thief" if it wasn't at least a bit legit. After some thinking, she decided to be cautious and always keep on her toes, and advise Mia to do the same.

"I bet you're both just dying to know what my Power-Thief is, aren't you?" Tempest asked smugly.

"Why not?" Violet made her face into a "mask", a skill she'd learned from her father: show no emotion to your enemies, or you're a goner. "Go right ahead."

Cackling like a witch, Tempest said proudly, "The Power-Thief is my own creation. What does it do, you ask? Simply stated, it drains supers of their powers and stores them within itself. Then it transfers those powers to someone else, in this case, ME!" She jabbed a thumb into her chest to emphasize. "That's what we're going to do with you two. As soon as the Power-Thief is completed, that is," she added, frowning with annoyance. "It's taking a tad longer then I thought it would."

_Yeah, that's because your team has brains the size of a flea,_ thought Mia sarcastically.

"Well," Tempest finished, whirling dramatically and walking toward the exit, "I'd best go check on those imbeciles. Ta-ta!" With a little wave of her fingertips, she was off.

Mia turned to Violet. "Wow. There's a psychotic chick for you."

Nodding in agreement, Vi smiled. "Yeah, but I think she's serious about this Power-Thief thing. I hope Tony and Sam can find out where we are..."

"No way! We can rescue ourselves! I won't play damsel-in-distress, thanks," retorted Mia.

"Well, sure, but it might be a good idea to have help; you know, just in case."

"Ehh, maybe," Mia answered, grinning mischievously. "If only to make them feel important and macho."

Although they were joking around like they so often did, both were secretly terrified and praying someone would find them before it was too late.

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Reviews are my friends.


	5. Back at the Ranch

Thanks to Inspector Brown, The Star Swordsman, and RubyVulpix for reviewing. Oh, and the guys (Sam in particular) are going to be a little bit OOC in this chapter, but it's supposed to be like that.

**Chapter 5: Back at the Ranch**

Brittany was having a lot of trouble getting either Tony or Sam to listen to her. She'd been trying to convince Tony for an hour. _Who ever thought being the heroine would be this_ hard? she thought.

"Please!" she said beseechingly. "You have to believe me, Tony! That's not Violet!"

"Oh, come on," scoffed Tony. "Of course it is. I know my own girlfriend!"

Veronica - doing a pretty good imitation of Violet's voice - chimed in, "I ought to know who I am; I'm Violet! Who else would I be?"

Groaning from frustration, Brittany snapped, "Okay, well, if you're so sure that's Violet Parr, go right ahead and believe it! But I'm going to say it one last time: that's not Violet! The real Violet Parr _(AN: Haha, I just realized I inadvertently used my own penname! I swear I didn't mean to do that!)_ was taken captive an hour ago, and if you don't come and help me rescue her I'll do it myself, because if someone doesn't go find her they'll kill her!"

Tony was beginning to look dubious. "Well...Vi, you have been acting sort of weird tonight..."

"No I haven't! What are you talking about?" Now Veronica was getting nervous, and her imitation of Violet was growing less convincing. "This girl must be crazy!"

At that moment Brittany got an idea. "Tony, if she's really Violet Parr, make her prove it. Ask her a question only she would be able to answer."

"Um, okay." Tony turned and looked into "Violet"'s eyes. "If you're really Violet, you'll know the answer to this question, because you were the only other person around when it happened: When was our first kiss?"

There was silence for a long moment, then "Violet" answered, "Our first date?" but it was obviously a guess.

A look of complete shock flashed across Tony's face. "Who are you and what have you done with Violet Parr?"

For a second "Violet" just looked at him. Then her face crumpled and she began to sob hysterically. As she did her features changed - her hair became blond, her eyes turned a different shade of blue, and the shape of her face changed considerably. "It - it wasn't my idea!" she wailed. "It was Trinity's!"

"What?" Tony looked completely confused. "Veronica Mackintosh? What are you doing? Why..."

She sniffled and choked out, "Trinity said if we got rid of Violet and Mia then I could have you and she'd get Sam."

"Oh no." Tony turned to look Brittany in the eyes. "Do you know where they are?"

"No, but I think she'll tell us." Veronica had stopped crying now and just sniffled occasionally. Brittany asked her, trying to be as gentle as possible despite circumstances, "Where are they?"

"W-with our parents," whispered Veronica. "They were t-taking them to their secret lair. And...I can't tell you where it is."

Brittany frowned in confusion. "Who are your parents?"

"E-Elements..." was all Veronica would say. Brittany strongly suspected the poor girl was having something like a meltdown and wouldn't normally have revealed such crucial information.

"Okay," she said, "thank you, Veronica." She and Tony walked in the direction Sam and Trinity had gone, while poor Veronica wandered off in another direction. She didn't want to be around when Trinity heard her plan had been ratted out.

When they spotted the couple, the sight was so disturbing they almost wished they hadn't. Trinity had her arms wrapped around Sam's neck and was sitting on his lap, and Sam didn't seem to mind in the least. As a matter of fact, he appeared to be enjoying it. Brittany almost threw up when she saw the look on Trinity's face - fortunately she managed to contain herself. Instead of being sick she called angrily, "Trinity! Get off Sam and snap him out of it!"

Turning to face them, Trinity purred, "Now why would I do a crazy thing like that? Sammy's happy here, aren't you?" she asked him in a sugary voice.

"Never better, babe." he answered. Seeing his best friend act so out of character made Tony nearly lose control of his stomach also.

"Listen to me, Sam," he said in an urgent tone, "you have to snap out of this. Remember Mia? Don't tell me you don't."

"Mia..." As he whispered her name, Sam's eyes began to look slightly less glazed over.

Yes! There is a way to break it! thought Brittany triumphantly. "Sam, do you remember when you and Mia first kissed?"

"Yeah." His blue eyes looked almost clear, and he smiled fondly.

Tony added, "You love Mia. You haven't forgotten her, you never could. I remember once you said she was the most amazing girl you ever met. She'd be devastated if she saw you being stupid like this. And if you don't want to lose your girlfriend and your best friend, you'll snap out of this trance right now, because I'm not going to let you make this mistake!"

Sam's head jerked, and his eyelashes fluttered like he saw a bright light. "T-Tony? What's going on?"

"Never mind, we have to go, now!" Brittany grabbed Sam's arm and yanked him to his feet, dumping Trinity on the floor in the process. "Hey!" the blond yelped, outraged. "What do you think you're doing?"

Brittany stopped and stared into Trinity's eyes. "Something I should have done a long time ago. Asta la vista, Trinity, and good riddance!" She pulled Sam toward the doors, with Tony right behind her, leaving Trinity sitting on the floor.

Once they were outside they quickly explained the situation to Sam. "So do you think the Elements have the same old lair?" he asked Tony.

"Probably." Tony's grey eyes were steely. "Come on!"

"Wait, where are we going?" asked Brittany.

"To the harbor!" called Tony as he began running. "We're going to need a boat!"

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Reviews are nice. Please don't flame me, I know it didn't take very long to convince either of them and it probably should have taken more time, but I'm sort of lazy sometimes...and I think I wrote this when it was about 90 degrees out anyway. Sorry if it's too short.


	6. An Unexpected Aly

Thanks to Inspector Brown, RubyVulpix, The Star Swordsman, and shaded-sky for reviewing!

Nobody flame me for this chapter, please. I think I'm having too much fun with this story...

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**Chapter 6: An Unexpected Aly**

As they sat in their cells awaiting Tempest's return, Violet mused over what the villainess had told them. It steals powers...hmm. But we're not the most powerful supers in the world or anything - I wonder what she could be thinking.

"Why do you think she's after our powers specifically, and not anybody else's?" she asked Mia.

"Maybe it's our invisibility, your force fields, and my flight powers," answered Mia. "But you have a point. You'd think she'd go after your dad or somebody like that..."

They were interrupted by the sound of a door opening at the far end of the room. Immediately both girls froze and prayed that it wasn't Tempest already.

It wasn't. It was a boy that looked about their age or a little older, with sandy brown hair and eyes so dark brown they were almost black. Violet just managed to keep from gasping aloud - those eyes were exact replicas of Tempest's eyes!

But the boy's eyes weren't filled with malice - they were gentle, yet strong. His gaze shifted around the room before coming to rest on Violet and Mia's cells.

"Oh good! You're still here; I mean, Mother hasn't..." He seemed too relieved to be able to talk properly. "Well, anyway, I just want you to know I'm a friend. I can help you escape."

"Who are you? And what do you mean by 'Mother'?" Mia raised an eyebrow.

The boy blushed and looked nervous. "You see, Tempest is...my mother. And Fuego's my father. But I'm nothing like them!" he added forcefully.

"You say that, but how do we know we can trust you?" Violet was also suspicious.

Sighing, the boy sat down outside their cells. "You can trust me, but if you don't believe me I'll tell you my story. Maybe even that won't work, but...I have to try. I can't let Mother do to you what she's done to me." He shook his head and continued, "My name is Tim. I have a twin sister named Trinity, and she and my parents have hated me since I was born. When Trinity and I were born, my mother wasn't happy at all - she always said she never wanted kids. Then when we were toddlers she discovered Trinity had a superpower, but I didn't. From then on she loved Trinity and hated me even more; she's treated me like her slave instead of her son since I was born," Tim's eyes glistened with tears. "And my dad doesn't care, he never has. Especially since I don't have powers."

"Wow," whispered Mia. "I'm so sorry."

Nodding, Tim finished, "I learned at a young age to hide when Mother is angry, or become the target of her temper. Even now, sometimes that's not enough," He gestured to his right eye, which had a swollen purple bruise above it. "That's from earlier today, when Earthshaker broke part of the Power-Thief's mechanism and I happened to be sweeping the floor nearby."

Violet's face was a mix of sympathy and rage. "Tim, if you're going to help us escape, you can come with us. We'll find you a place to stay where Tempest won't find you, and then we'll report her to the authorities!"

His eyes lit up. "You'd do that for me?"

"Well, we're not leaving you here!" replied Mia. "Do you happen to have the key to these cells?"

Shaking his head, Tim told her, "No, but I can get it tonight, while everyone's asleep."

"Great! Oh wait - Tim, you should keep watch for two boys about our age on the security cameras," added Mia, remembering Tony and Sam. "I think our boyfriends might be coming to rescue us."

Tim nodded. "Sure thing. And...thank you for listening to me. No one's ever cared enough to listen to me before."

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Reviews are my wonderful friends.


	7. To the Rescue

Thanks to Inspector Brown, RubyVulpix, Shaded-Sky, and The Star Swordsman for reviewing! And I want to apologize for the long period of not updating due to my being a) very busy and b) very lazy. To make up for that this chapter's kind of long, or at least it has a lot in it. Oh, and I'll be gone from tomorrow until August 11th, so don't expect any updates till then.

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**Chapter 7: To the Rescue**

"Here we are," murmured Tony as he steered his family's boat into a small grove out of view of the rest of the island. He anchored it firmly and climbed out, checking their surroundings with the beam of light from his flashlight carefully. "Looks like it's safe enough. Come on, guys."

Sam and Brittany stepped out of the boat and onto the island. "We should keep quiet just in case there are microphones or something hidden in the jungle. And somebody should keep an eye out for cameras too," said Sam sensibly. "Tony, I think you should do that. You have good eyesight."

Nodding, Tony took the lead and crept almost silently into the jungle, Brittany and Sam behind them. They didn't get far before they heard a loud rustling in the undergrowth behind them.

"What was that?" whispered Brittany, her voice trembling just a bit and her eyes widening in fear.

"Nothing." Sam tried - unsuccessfully - not to sound afraid. "Just a bird or something."

Except it obviously wasn't a bird, because birds do not say "Psst! Hey you!"

But that's what whatever it was in the bushes hissed to them. After giving his friends an uncertain look, Tony shone his flashlight in the direction the voice had come from. "Who's there?" he called.

More rustling, then a boy's face looked out at them from the leaves. "Don't be afraid. I'm a friend." He stood up, brushed the leaves and dirt off his clothes, and grinned as he made the peace sign with his right hand. "I come in peace!"

Tony raised an eyebrow and half-smiled. "A friend, huh? How do we know?"

"Oh, not again," the boy groaned. "Okay, see, my name's Tim and I'm here to help you rescue Mia and Violet. Don't believe me if you want, but I have the key to their cells..." - he dangled a silver key in front of the beam of light - "and I know my way around the Element's lair."

Without taking his eyes off Tim, Tony asked his friends, "What do you guys think? Can we trust him?"

Sam still looked distrustful of the boy, but Brittany was studying Tim carefully. Looking into his almost black eyes, she saw no reason to fear him. "I think...I think we can trust him," she said softly. "He doesn't look dangerous." Actually, from what she could see of him, Brittany thought he looked quite attractive - although she saw no reason to say that aloud.

Smiling gratefully at her, Tim looked back at Tony. "Well? Will you let me help you?"

What have we got to lose? thought Tony. He shrugged and nodded. "Sure. We'll come with you. I'm Tony, that's Sam, and that's Brittany," he added, introducing them.

The four teens slipped through the shadowy jungle with only starlight to guide them - Tony had turned off his flashlight so as not to attract possible attention from anything that might be nearby. It took them the better part of an hour to reach the headquarters, and when they arrived the first streaks of dawn were beginning to pierce the sky.

"Okay, follow me," whispered Tim. Of course the others did; they had been since their first encounter with him. He led them to a small door at the back of the building, which had a large sign on it reading UNAUTHORIZED ENTRANCE WILL RESULT IN DIRE CONSEQUENCES. As Tim used a key to unlock the door Tony eyed the sign uneasily. "There aren't any alarms that go off if we open this door, right?" he asked warily.

Shaking his head, Tim opened the door and beckoned them inside. "I turned it off when I left the headquarters to meet you."

The two other boys still looked suspicious, but Brittany clearly trusted Tim - she moved quietly after him into the building and smiled shyly at him. "Thanks for helping us," she said quietly as Sam and Tony came into the building.

"You're welcome." answered Tim, starting down a dark corridor. His dark eyes met hers warmly for a moment before he kept going. After several hundred yards, he called softly, "The containment unit is in here," and opened a door on the right side of the hallway.

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Mia started awake when from her dream about Sam when she heard the door handle turning. "Violet!" she hissed. "Violet!"

"Uggh...five more minutes Mom..." Obviously Violet was not a morning person.

"Violet! Someone's coming! Wake up now!"

Her friend jerked awake then. "What? Who's there?"

"I don't know, but I heard the door..." Turning just in time to see it open, Mia gasped when Tim, Tony, Sam, and another girl who looked familiar walked in.

"Miss us?" asked Sam, grinning.

Too happy to say anything, the two girls just watched Tim unlock their cells. They wanted to shout with joy - but decided to hold off until they were somewhere else, somewhere not in the vicinity of evil villains.

Violet threw her arms around Tony's neck and hugged him. Nearby, Mia and Sam were also in a tight embrace. "Thank you," Violet breathed into his ear.

"Anytime." Tony kissed her gently. "I'm just glad you're all right."

"Ahem," Tim coughed. "Um, sorry to interrupt this tender reunion and all, but we do really have to get out of here before any of The Elements wake up."

Mia looked sad at having to let go of Sam so soon, but she nodded. "Let's go, guys."

As the group tiptoed along the hallway toward the nearest exit Brittany found herself walking next to Tim. Their hands brushed against each other accidentally several times, then suddenly Tim reached out and gently took her hand in his. Brittany looked into his dark eyes, trying not to look too surprised...could Tim like her?

Meeting her gaze steadily, he asked in a soft voice, "Do you mind it? I can let go if..."

"No!" Blushing, she added, "It's okay, thanks. I don't mind."

He smiled, and she felt her heart flip over.

About a hundred feet away from the door through which they'd entered, Tim suddenly turned to the right, toward another door. "Hold on, everybody. I have an idea."

The others shrugged and cautiously followed him through the door, down a flight of stairs, through a hallway, and straight to another door. This door had a sign on it that said KEEP OUT THIS MEANS YOU in large red letters, but Tim appeared not to notice and went through it anyway.

Inside the large room was a contraption made of metal that had two large chairs with helmet-like things hanging over their backs. A series of cords ran from the chairs to a large round tank with the words "Power-Thief" painted in very grand lettering on the side.

"The Power-Thief!" whispered Violet in a mixture of surprise and fear.

"Right." Nodding, Tim walked over to the control panel, which was on the side of the tank. He quickly examined all the levers and buttons on it before beginning to nod slowly, as if to himself. Then he went over to the large seats, took out a small pocket-knife, and to everyone's surprise made large slashes all over the material.

"There's part gone," he murmured, and turned to his new friends. "All of you are supers, right? Does anyone happen to possess powers that would be of use in destroying this thing?"

Sam grinned mischievously. "Would laser beams work for that?"

"Very nicely." Stepping back to allow him room, Tim gestured to the evil device. "Please be my guest."

Right away Sam got to work making scorched rubble out of the Power-Thief, and Tony doused the control panel with water (causing a lovely electrical show). Although Mia and Violet's powers were no help to the boys, they enjoyed watching them demolish it, particularly the "fireworks" from the control panel.

Finally everyone decided that the Power-Thief was scorched, soaked, and damaged beyond repair, so they high-fived each other and turned to slip out of the headquarters...only to find six smug supervillains blocking their escape route.

"And just where do you think you're going?" asked Tempest in a contemptuous tone.

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I know everyone's just going to kill me for leaving it at that and then not updating for two weeks...reviews are nice though. And I'll be working on this while I'm gone so when I get back updates will be more frequent.


	8. Hero

I know you all are going to kill me for not updating for so long...I really am sorry. Originally the story was going to end differently, so when I got the idea to change it it meant I had to get into a whole new frame of mind when I wrote this chapter. Plus, have you ever tried writing in a car when you're on the highway with three other people in the car and the car crammed full of stuff? It's not fun. Anyway, thanks to RubyVulpix, Inspector Brown, The Star Swordsman, and Shaded-Sky for reviewing and I hope you guys won't completely hate me for what I'm about to do in this story.

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**Chapter 8: Hero**

Tim met his mother's smug gaze steadily. "We're going to Timbucktu, can't you tell?" he asked sarcastically.

"Well, you appear to be taking my hostages with you," Tempest snarled.

"No. They're not your hostages. They're my friends." replied Tim. "And I'm not going to let you do anything to them."

Tony added in a mocking voice, "You can't do anything to us now anyway. We destroyed your precious Power-Thief!"

The smirk on Tempest's face wavered slightly. Her eyes blazed with fury now. "Yes, I saw you destroying my precious invention. And I can assure you that you will pay for that. And pay dearly!" she snarled. "Especially you, Timothy. I must admit, I'm shocked. I didn't think you had it in you to rebel."

"Apparently I did. And you are not going to touch any of my friends either," he retorted, coming to stand protectively in front of them.

Then another of the villains stepped forward. "Oh no? I may not have physically destructive powers like Mother and Daddy but you should know better than anyone how good I am with my fists. Right, little brother?" Trinity sneered at the group of teenage heroes. "I think I'll start with your girlfriend there!"

She slapped Brittany viciously across the face. Looking shocked, Brittany quickly retorted by shoving Trinity into her mother. Even though his friend appeared to be handling the situation quite well, Tim looked livid and about to attack his sister.

"Enough!" Tempest held her daughter back. "If you're going to punch anyone, punch your brother. He's the cause of all this!"

Earthshaker, Cascade, Veronica, and Fuego looked ready to jump the boy, and Tempest had just begun to slam him around and hit him mercilessly with bolts of lightning when a voice called, "Stop!"

Running forward to block Tim with her small body, Brittany glared daggers at the villains. "If you're going to hurt anyone for this, don't hurt Tim; hurt me. I brought Aquaguy and the Floating Beam to this island to rescue Viomist and the Soaring Ghost. I am responsible for your plans being ruined. Take me."

"Are you crazy?" Tony hissed.

Not turning around, Brittany answered in a level voice, "No, I'm not."

"Hmm." Tempest looked at Brittany the way a dog might look at a freshly planted flower bed. "I can't say no to a willing victim. Fuego, Earthshaker! Grab the girl and take her to..."

"Wait!" Brittany held up a hand. "First promise to let my friends go and promise not to lay a hand on any of them ever again."

Tempest snarled but muttered, "Fine! You have my word we will not touch any of them after they are gone."

"No!" Tim laid his hand on the smaller girl's arm and looked into her face. "Brittany, you can't do this! Don't give yourself up to them!"

"I'm sorry, Tim. I have to." She gazed into his dark eyes for a long Tim before pressing her lips to his for an instant. Walking over to her other friends, she hugged each one, then went back and stood still while Fuego and Earthshaker seized her arms and dragged her out of the room. Brittany did not cry, but Violet and Mia began sobbing quietly, and even the boys were misty-eyed (especially Tim). They knew they'd never see their brave friend again.

Then, just like that, it was over. Tempest herself ushered the team out of the Element's lair silently.

Only when they reached the exit did Tim say softly, "Goodbye, Mother." Tempest ignored him.

No one spoke as they trekked through the jungle, or as they boarded the boat. Not until they'd set out and were a good distance from the island did Mia remark quietly, "That was really noble of Brittany." The others murmured their agreement, except for Tim, who merely sat and stared down at the dark water. Everyone was quiet then, remembering their small friend who had given herself up to save them all.

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I know the correct title for this chapter is probably "Heroine", but that would have given it away. Please review even if you do hate my guts now. Oh, and the next chapter will probably be the last one.


	9. Home At Last

Alright, so I lied. There's gonna be one more chapter after this. This one's just kind of a filler - originally I was going to combine this chapter and the next chapter, but I decided not to. (I hope Mia doesn't come across as too annoyed at Tim or anything, her pep talk was kind of hard to write because I didn't want her to be too harsh or anything)

Anyway, thanks to Inspector Brown, The Star Swordsman, RubyVulpix, and Shaded-Sky for reviewing!

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**Chapter 9: Home At Last**

When the group of friends arrived back in the Metroville harbor, Tony silently tied the boat to the dock and they walked toward their homes together without saying a word. It was a quiet Saturday evening, and fortunately there were very few people roaming the streets, so no one bothered them.

Finally Sam broke the silence. "Um, so what's gonna happen to Tim?"

"I don't care," muttered Tim. "Nothing matters anymore. Brittany is dead."

Mia stepped in front of the sandy-haired boy so that he had to stop walking. "Look, Tim, all of us miss Brittany, okay? I know she was really special to you, but that doesn't mean you can't go on after she's gone. Anyway, for all we know she might be alive, free, and heading home now. In the meantime need to figure out where you're going to stay, because I highly doubt you have money to rent an apartment."

"She's dead - I know it." remarked Tim sadly. His almost black eyes were dull with pain and sorrow.

"You don't," argued Mia.

"I do."

Before the argument got any worse Tony said, "Well, I'll bet my parents will let you stay with me, Tim."

Nodding dully Tim replied, "Thanks."

They fell back into silence as one by one they arrived at their houses. Eventually it was just Tony and Tim. Tony glanced over at his friend, concerned for him. He hoped something would be able to ease Tim's pain soon.

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The Rydingers were ecstatic to have their son back, since they'd had no idea where he was. Once he'd explained the rescue mission, they calmed down a bit and turned their interest to his new friend.

As Tony told his parents Tim's story Mrs. Rydinger grew increasingly sympathetic. "Poor dear, you need a home! Of course you can stay with us, Tim," she said in a very motherly way. "We should get out right away and catch those Elements too, Aaron."

Aaron Rydinger nodded, agreeing with his wife. "Right away. I'll call Mia, Sam, and Violet's parents too - that'll give us a bit of an advantage. And you," he pointed at his son as he spoke, "will stay here with Tim. You two have both had a long day and you need to rest."

"Sure," shrugged Tony. "We're cool with that, right Tim?" His friend nodded slowly.

After calling the other adult supers and arranging to meet at the harbor, Tony's parents changed into their supersuits and left. Tony attempted to interest Tim in a video game or movie, but the dark-eyed boy wasn't interested. He just curled up on the couch and slept, hoping to take his mind off Brittany. It worked... until he began to dream.

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One more chapter to go! (and I'm telling the truth this time) Reviews are nice things.


	10. In Dreams

Well, here we are. The last chapter of the third Team Dynamo story. I think it's only fair to tell all of you that I'll be giving Violet, Tony, Mia, Sam, and Tim a break for awhile. No, I'm not going to stop writing fan fiction, just going to take a break from these characters. (I'll still be around this section though, don't worry.) Thanks to Inspector Brown, Shaded-Sky, The Star Swordsman, and RubyVulpix for being such devoted readers and reviewers, and I hope you won't all think this chapter is too cheesy (it was incredibly hard to figure out how to end this story).

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**Chapter 10: In Dreams**

In his dreams, Tim was walking through a forest at night. This would not have been unusual - he loved walking at night - except that there was no light at all, save one lone star in the sky, and no sounds except for his soft steps on the dark soil. He fixed his gaze on the single bright star and though it seemed impossible, he was able to navigate through the forest without stumbling even though he did not look at the ground.

Suddenly the star began growing larger and brighter. Tim felt himself stop so he could watch it grow. Aside from being increasingly larger and more luminous, the star also appeared to be dropping out of the sky. Faster and faster it fell downward, until finally the boy realized it was headed straight for the spot he stood. He knew he should run, but he found he could not; his feet seemed to be fixed in place.

As the star neared the ground, it slowed down and eventually landed in front of Tim. Then it began to change into the shape of a girl, one with a gentle smile and sparkling green eyes. "Hello, Tim."

"Brittany!" Tim wanted to ask her a thousand questions and say a thousand things. "You...You're..."

"Ssh." She placed a finger on his lips. "I know. Please don't grieve for me, Tim."

Tears sprang to the boy's eyes. "Why? I miss you so much, Brittany. Why did you give yourself to them like that?"

"It was not your time to go, Tim," Brittany said. "When your mom and sister began beating you, I heard the voice of an angel telling me not to be afraid, to give myself up so that you and the others to live. And I listened to it."

"But..." Choking back a sob, Tim continued, "You were special. You shouldn't have died because of me."

Brittany smiled. "I'm not sorry I did. In time you will recover from your grief. Besides, I'll never truly be dead to you if you keep the memory of me alive." She hugged him and whispered, "Goodbye...for now."

When she released him Brittany smiled one last time, and her eyes were full of gentleness and love. As she began to fade she whispered again, "Don't forget..."

"I won't," answered Tim. "I won't." Strangely, he felt a sense of peace envelop him after Brittany was gone.

The next thing he knew Tony was shaking him awake and saying, "Hey, woah, dude, you okay? You were crying and talking in your sleep!"

"I'm just fine," murmured Tim, smiling slightly. "Just fine."

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The next morning there was a front-page headline in the Metroville Journal proclaiming SUPERS CATCH TEAM OF VILLAINS ON SECRET ISLAND!

"I guess they did it," said Tony proudly to Violet. He and Tim had come over to the Parr's house that morning, along with Mia, Sam, and Sam's younger brother Andy.

Smiling, Violet replied, "Yeah, we shouldn't have to worry about the Elements anymore." She turned to Tim and asked gently, "How do you feel about all this, Tim?"

"Relieved more than anything." To everyone's surprise he seemed much more cheerful than he'd been the day before, even cracking jokes.

Finally Mia couldn't stand it anymore. "What happened to you? You were all depressed yesterday and now you're all happy Mr. Sunshine! What gives?"

Tim had to laugh a bit at his friend's comment. "Well...let's just say I'm not going to be moping around anymore. I'll still miss Brittany and think of her, but I know now that I shouldn't just lie around not caring about anything just because she's gone."

Nodding, Violet smiled. "That's good. Who wants to watch a movie?"

Their parents came home later that afternoon and told them the story of the Elements' capture. Apparently they had been lounging around in their lair dozing, drinking, and stuffing themselves on gourmet food, clearly exhausted from beating Brittany to a pulp. None of them were in any shape to put up much of a fight when the supers and the police arrived.

Of course they were all sentenced to jail for life, on grounds of murder, child abuse, and other serious crimes (and the authorities made sure the villains could not break out of their cells). Veronica and Trinity ended up in juvenile hall. There was a widely attended funeral service for Brittany, the brave girl who had given herself up to save others. Violet and the others were there to pay their respects to their lost friend, but Tim was the only one of the group who did not say anything about Brittany. What he had to say he could not share in front of others.

One evening a few days later Tim stopped by her gravesite to say a proper thank-you. "Hey, Britt," he whispered to her marker. "I just wanted to stop by and say thanks again. I promise I won't ever forget you." As he left the graveyard he thought he heard faint laughter floating on the breeze.

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It's kind of an odd ending, I know, but it's what I ended up with. Thanks for sticking with me through this, guys. :)


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